I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Tips

Every time I hear someone talk about the total eclipse coming up on August 21st, I immediately start humming Total Eclipse of the Heart. I can’t help it. And then that song is stuck in my head all day {sorry if it’s stuck in yours now, too}. But this eclipse thing is kind of a big deal. Well a HUGE deal really since we’ll never see it again in our lifetime {the last total solar eclipse that crossed the United States from Washington State to Florida happened on June 8th, 1918!}! It really is a once in a lifetime thing!

So what’s the big deal? When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating a total eclipse. Well on August 21st at a quarter past 10am, a total solar eclipse will sweep a path across our continent, from Oregon to South Carolina. It’ll last almost 3 hours and about halfway through, the moon will completely block the sun for up to 2 minutes 40 seconds in the path of totality {a 70 mile wide path all across the country}, and that part of the country will experience darkness as if it went from day to night. Pretty awesome, right? But in order to experience all the eclipse has to offer, here are some tips for your viewing experience:Make a Plan: Are you near the path of totality? Plan to head there for the best possible viewing experience. But plan to head there early. Hundreds of thousands of people are flocking to cities in the path of totality from all over the world, so you will experience all sorts of traffic depending on where you watch from. Many experts are anticipating jammed cell towers, empty grocery shelves, traffic snarled for days and a gas shortage. Now will it actually come to that? Who knows. It certainly doesn’t hurt to stock up on gas and supplies now and make your plan.

I have a few friends that are hosting eclipse viewing parties with a brunch or lunch {depending on where you’re located in the country}, and then an outdoor gathering to see the world go dark! Sounds like a good time, but if the roads are anywhere near as bad as they say, plan on having guests stay overnight just in case! If roads are clear, great. If not, they’ll already have their overnight bags ready and you’ll have plenty of food on hand to feed everyone!

If you’re unable to view the eclipse in person, don’t worry. You can sit back, relax and let NASA’s megacast stream it to your living room via these 3 options:

Do Your Research: It would be a big bummer if you planned an eclipse viewing party expecting your city to go dark and the path of totality wasn’t anywhere near you. The video above shows a time lapse of the eclipse’s path. You can pause when it’s near your city and see what the optimal time is to view the eclipse and see darkness. You can also check out an eclipse viewing map here to find info on your city.

In addition to knowing when, it might be a good idea to know what! “A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting its shadow on the Earth. The shadow comprises two concentric cones called the umbra and the penumbra. Observers on the Earth who are within the smaller, central umbra see the sun completely blocked. Within the larger penumbra, the sun is only partially blocked.” I learned that while researching why there was only a small path of totality. A few minutes of Googling and you can be up to speed on this eclipse business. NASA has a great Eclipse 101 page with endless info. I’d start there if you’re looking for info.

Be Safe: An eclipse might be awesome, but it can also be pretty damaging! Infrared and ultraviolet radiation during the eclipse can be dangerous if you don’t know how to protect yourself. Your eyes can be damaged, your camera can be damaged and your cell phone can be damaged. Let’s start with the eyes: you have to protect your eyes at all times using proper solar filters. Regular sunglasses will not do because they don’t offer your eyes sufficient protection. You have to get a pair of solar glasses or a solar viewer that meets the viewing standard {see what that means here and snag a pair of glasses here}. Libraries across the country are giving them away, too! But whether you have glasses or not, do not stare continuously at the sun.

And there you have a little info on how to experience this once in a lifetime event safely. Are you excited? Are you near the path of totality? What are your plans to view the eclipse?

Comments

Hi, Mavis, how timely your post is! I’m partially packed now and have been preparing for weeks. Some friends are meeting in a more central location and driving the rest of the way to NC. (I’m in New England.) Basically, a weekend with these friends is a hoot no matter what, but we expect to have a blast. Many cities along the path of totality have events planned. if one does not already have reservations, it may be too late. I reserved a room weeks ago and had difficulty finding a place even then. You mention store selves emptying. I have a bunch of non-perishable meals packed up for the 4 of us and already have a package of special glasses. For those who need to get some, be sure they will arrive BEFORE the eclipse, as some I saw had arrival dates after the event. I OOPS! I will have to research to find out it the special viewing glasses are enough to protect the phone on my camera. It should be easy enough to cut a pair and share the lens part between two cameras.

So, some fun, silly stuff: Hubby suggested I find some of those silly huge wax lips to share as EEK-lips. Check! We also found some large plastic lips that are whistles. More fun, stilly stuff…

I am excited, it is almost here! I have been planning this for over two years. My HH and I have reservations for a condo in Lincoln City Oregon for a long weekend. I have heard alot about price gouging at some hotels but the place we are staying is charging their July 4th rates. Seems fair to me. I am in Tacoma Washington so we are expecting our 5 hour drive to last much longer. We will fill the gas tank frequently and will have lots of groceries with us. Here’s a tip for eclipse watchers-especially in the totality areas-the temperature will drop quickly so bring a jacket.

Hundreds of people? I work at the Portland airport and they expect 1.5 million people flying in starting on the 15th, and they don’t know how many people will drive to come. They are closing highways on the 21st and they plan on have a lot of cops helping for all the car rental returns after the 21st. lol Yeah it’s gonna be insane in Oregon, we are not really excited about it…

The eclipse is going to hit the Oregon coast first in mid-morning and soooo many people are expected to go there—but its the beach, in the morning so the posibility of cloud cover is VERY high. Will feel very sad for all those people if that is what happens. And to add to it there are only two lane roads out to the beach…it is going to be a mess. Dept of Transportation is recommending the ususal, extra food, water, gas but also porta potties—there are not going to be enough so if you have one bring it! For me–I’m staying home

Hi Ellen, I am one of those people who will be at the Oregon coast for the eclipse.
We feel that regardless of the weather it will still be a total solar eclipse and most likely the only one we will see in our lifetime. Don’t feel sad for those of us at the beach on that morning. Like I said regardless of the cloud cover the sun will still be eclipsed, it will still get dark and it will still get cold. So looking forward to it!
Anna

Anna, I do hope the sun is very bright that day. If not though will you let me know how the morning went? I am very curious how cloud cover might affect what you see. Still going to get get night-time dark? Do so hope you have a great experience.

My husband started planning this event last August… Book hotel rooms in Nashville and bought solar glasses before they became price gouged… Kids school schedule got messed up this year so they are going to miss the 3rd day of school b/c we will be out of town to get a better Eclipse %…

I live in Columbia, SC which is in the path of totality. Hotel rooms have been gone for months! Eclipse glasses are selling out everywhere too! We are going to set up a telescope with a sun shield and have a party for all the kiddos…complete with Sunny D and Sun Chips! The only thing that could ruin it would be cloudy skies.

I will be driving two hours, north to Nashville. I have cooler plans, case of water, my special milk, fruit, sandwiches, jar of peanut butter/jelly/bread, fruit, jerky, pillows, change of clothing, bathing stuff–soap/gallonwater/ jacket for friend who is cold-natured, ISO spec eclipse glasses made in USA not China, hats, lawn chairs, can of gas. We will stop for gas more gas in his tank just before we get to Tennessee.

Motels and hotels were sold out two years ago. We are prepared for gridlock, maybe spending night in car if car trouble or whatever. Thankfully, he has a vehicle where we can put the seats down in the back. we are prepared for all contingencies. the loaf of bread, jar of jelly and peanut butter is sort of a last ditch food when we run out of stuff that I will fix for the trip.

It all may all go off without a hitch, but I have prepared for the worst. We both will have meds for a few days, him insulin. I hope we do not have a wreck or the car break down. But, we are prepared not to need a motel, water, or food. And, we can sleep in the car even if I have asthma and allergy problems. I have heard that there may not be food or drink anywhere. I will carry stuff like peaches and a can opener.

This is a thrill I must not miss.

Oh, yeah. I am carrying a five-gallon bucket with a lid since I don’t want to go in the bushes. Places with restrooms may lock their doors to hordes, especially if they run out of food to sell. Plus, I cannot walk well and he walks with a cane, making us very good victims. We need to stay together! And, my idea is to stay with the vehicle. We intend to see the 1 min and 58 second eclipse, wait for the sun to reappear and head back South to AL. I am having a friend stay in my house since the world knows I am leaving home.

Am I the only person who is not excited about the eclipse? It’s just an eclipse. A total one, yes, I know. It’s a rare occurrence, yes, I know.
Still, I just can’t work up any interest.
A rainbow? That I love to see. A spectacular sunset/sunrise? Makes my whole day. Sunshine coming through dark clouds and making “fingers”? Makes me smile in my heart.
But, the eclipse? Meh.

See that first city on the video map you have above? Salem? Yep. I’ll be on my balcony. Best seat in town! But boy howdy they are expecting over a million people to hit this valley and in no way are we equipped for it. We are being told by State and City officials to stock up with food, gas, medications, and to stay off the roads. Our office closed for the day and lots of other businesses have shut down as well. It’s going to be insanity, but I’m excited! I’m just really, really hopeful that all of our visitors are respectful to the beauty of the city, bring their patience, and pick up after themselves. My deepest concern is fire as we haven’t had rain for 52 days and lots of people are going to be here who aren’t used to having a fire season or camping. Also, since marijuana is legal and so many visitors are from other states where it isn’t, the pot shops are stocking up! I’m hopeful people will enjoy everything and have fun (cause this is a great place) but not drive or swim impaired. (The Willamette River runs through the center of town and there have been two drownings this summer alone.) Officials have opened the city parks, for the first time I believe, for people to camp in because so many can’t get hotel rooms.

It’s going to be a great experience — but there’s no way you could get me into a car and on the roads the 20th and the 21st. Me, my eclipse glasses, a glass of champagne and my camera. Done and done!